INFLUENCE OF SHAPE OF DIFFERENT CONTAINERS ON F VALUE
A. Derossi - M.P. La Penna - C. Severini - T. De Pilli
Pasteurization is one of the most important thermal treatments used to guarantee food safety.
As known, there are different variables that could influence a correct thermal treatment, and conseguently the F value. Few papers exist on the influence of different shapes of containers on the F value. For this reason, the object of the present work was to evaluate the effect of the shape of different containers on the value of the Fourier number (F100).
The results obtained in this study pointed out that containers with the same volume, but different shape, found on the local market, may affect the level of F value obtained and thus becomes a crucial point in terms of product safety when the traditional containers are substituted by ones, with a different shape, also only for commercial reasons.

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SIMPLIFIED ANALYSIS PLANS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REGULATION (EC) NO. 1441/2007
S. Parisi - S. Delia - C. Ceccio - D. Crupi - F. Quartarone - P. Laganà
At present, the Regulation (EC) No. 1441/2007 (Food Safety and Process Criteria) is completely accepted and substantially implemented in the E.U. However, new improvements have been differently applied depending on the particular type of production. Every food company must carry out appropriate analyses – according to defined Sampling and Analysis Plans – to check the global performance of its HACCP Plan continually. On the other hand, all food companies are allowed to use other Sampling and/or Testing procedures on condition that the same guarantees are given. These alternative systems are sometimes incorrect because of the “official” limits used. Consequently, the aim of this paper has been to explore the problem of Simplified (or “lighter”) Testing Plans in comparison with the accepted “Three Classes” Sampling. Two Simplified Analysis Plans (“N in One” and “N in Two” models) have been shown and tested to demonstrate the full compliance with the original requests of Regulation (EC) No. 1441/2007. The mathematical procedure has been fully explained for every Plan. In addition, “N in One” and “N in Two” Plans have been used in all possible situations according to Regulation (EC) No. 1441/2007. The mathematical procedures will be inserted into the “Simplified Analytical Planner Spreadsheets” (SAPS) software, 1.0 (Italian language) and 1.1 version (Italian and English languages), within the end of 2009.

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IMPURITIES AND INFESTATIONS IN PACKAGED DRIED MUSHROOMS. A COMPARISON BETWEEN TWO FILTH-TEST METHODS
A. Martini - P. Baronio - N. Baldassari
Two different methods of filth-test for dried mushrooms, reported in the Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC, were used to analyze samples from commercial packaged products belonging to three different brands. The comparison of results obtained for the same sample using the two methods of analysis showed great differences in the quantity of impurities detected. In fact the amount of filth found in the same sample was greater with the sieving methods compared to that found with the flotation one. However the greatest number of impurities consisted of whole larvae, or parts of them, belonging to Diptera, Mycetophilidae mainly and to Cyclorrhapha in a smaller amount.
The biological assays of packaged mushroom indicated that for three of them stored pest infestations were developing; the samples belonged to three different commercial brands and probably the pests have infested the dried mushroom before they were packaged for sale. This result was probably due to a careless preservation of dried mushrooms.

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ITALIAN FOOD INDUSTRY: CRITICALNESS AND SCENERIES INDUCED BY THE ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS
M. Moresi
This paper was aimed at focusing on the sceneries induced by the present energy and environmental crisis on food processing and main criticalness of the Italian food industry in the short-medium term, as illustrated during the Conference on the Research Perspectives to Foster a Competitive Sustainable Development for the Italian Food Industry, organised by the National Academy of Sciences in Roma on the 5th of June, 2008 (http://www.federalimentare.it/Documenti/SISTAL-Convegno5Giugno.html). To keep up with the increasing global competition, the Italian food companies have to be able to respond quickly to consumer request. This will ask for new “smart manufacturing” software systems capable of selecting the most appropriate operating variables on the basis of the intrinsic raw material characteristics in order to reduce the variation in the generally recognised quality for most of the typical Italian foods to at least the Three Sigma Level, which is equivalent to 0.27% defects.

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DEPARTMENTS

COFFEE OVERVIEW

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CONFERENCE REPORTS

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EXHIBITION REPORT (CIBUS TEC)

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MACHINES & EQUIPMENT

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PACKAGING

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HYGIENE

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NEWS

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DIARY

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AITA

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ADVERTISERS’ LIST

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COMPANIES’ ADDRESS

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